Apparatus fob



Nov. 13 1923.

v C. H. MCCUTCHEON APPARATUS FOR FORMING CLAY POTS 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 1Filed Dec.

FIIEJW FREE Patented Nov. 13, 1923; srs a rnr crates.

CLAUDE H. MGCUTCHEON, OF KITTANNING, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO PITTS-BURGH PLATE GLASS COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

APPARATUS FOR FORMING CLAY POTS Application filed December 1, 1821.Serial No. 519,266.

To all whom it vita/y concern: prises a fixed plunger for iorming the Beit known that I, CLAUDE H. Mointerior surface of the pot and areceptacle CUTGHEON, a citizen oil the United States, for forming orshaping the outside of the and a resident of Kittanning, in the countypot, which receptacle is movable relative of Armstrong and State ofPennsylvania, to the plunger in two directions, the bottom have made anew and useful invent-ion in of the receptacle and the side walls beingImprovements in Apparatus for Forming movable vertically, while the sidewalls Clay Pots, of which the following is a which are insections, aremovable horispecification. zonial'ly soas to app-roach the side walls of10 The invention relates to apparatus for the plunger. In carrying outthe process making of clay pots and particularly those the clay to becompacted is placed in the employed in making plate glass, which arereceptacle beneath and around the plunger, of the largest size andpresent .the greatest after which the compacting action occurs,obstacles to production by any process this being accomplished by movingthe 15 except the ordinary hand methods which bottom of the receptacleupward and at the are tedious and expensive. It has for its same timemoving the sides of the receptacle main objects the provision of animproved laterally. In this way two compacting apparatus, (1) wherebypots of large size effects are secured, the clay beneath the may be madefrom ordinary'pot clay by a plunger being forced up against the end 20pouring or molding action; (2) whereby and the clay at the sides 'of theplunger this result may be secured without the being forced against itlaterally. The procnecessity of making the walls of the molding esswhereby these two compacting movereceptacle of plaster, and without theneces ments are. secured is most conveniently sity of using a' clayhaving a high mixture carried out by the apparatus illustrated, 25degree of fluidity; (3).and whereby a uni but other equivalent forms ofapparatus form and sufficient amount of compacting might be used tosecure the same results. or pressing force is applied to the clay so Itis more feasible tomake'the recxeptacle' that the resulting pot iswithout voids, is of collapsible and movable toward the plunger, uniformdensity and composition, and in maintaining the latter in fixedposition, but 30 general has the physical characteristics the sameresult would be secured by a reverse necessary to give a length ofservice comrelative movement involving a movable parable to that of thehand made pot. One plunger with the parts thereof capable of type ofconstruction for carrying out the expansion and contraction, or bydividing invention is illustrated in the accompanying these movementsbetween the receptacle 35 drawings, wherein: and plunger, the onlyrequirement in so far Figure 1 is a vertical section throu h the as theprocess is concerned being the vertical apparatus preferably employed.wit the movement of th approach between the sections constituting theside walls of the bottom of the receptacle and the plunger .mold orreceptacle in open position. Fig. 2 and the lateral movement of approachbefi is a section on the line II-II of Fig. 1. tweenthe side walls ofthe receptacle and Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional detail, theperipheral wall of the plunger, these Figs. 3 and 4: are views similarto Figs. 1 two movements of approach preferably and 2 but with the-sidesections of the mold occuring simultaneously, although this is in closedposition. Fig. 5 is a vertical section not essential. t5 through themold in a, plane different from Referring to the drawings, 1 is the corethat of Fig. 3 to illustrate the locking keys which is carried by thespider 2 bolted at for securing the side sections of the mold to itsends to the four vertical T bars 3 3 3 3. the bottom and top or closuresections. The bottom 4 of the m receptacle is\ .Fig. 6 is a partial sideelevation of the carried by a plunger 5 working in a 50 receptacle toshow the locking keys in end cylinder 6'. Fluid pressure .is appliedelevation. And Fig. 7 is an end view on a through the pipe 7 from thecylinder 8, in scale larger than that of the other figures, which worksthe plunger 9 operated from of one of the liners. the pump handle 10.

Briefly stated, the apparatus preferably The side walls of thereceptacle comprise as employed in carrying out the process comthe fourparts 11 11 11 11, such parts being shown in open position in Figs. 1and 2,

the spaces between the opposing edges of the sections being covered bythe metal liners 12 12 12 12. These metal liners are preferably of thetapering form illustrated in Fig. 7, the edges being made relativelythin and sharp so that they may slide over each Other when the sidewalls are collapsed. The side walls are made to move inward upon theupward movement of the bottom 4, such inward movement being secured bythe use of the opposing sets of cam members 14, 15 and 16, 17, the cammembers 14 and 16 being carried by the side sections of the mold and thecam members 15 and 17 being carried by the vertical T bars'3. There aretwo of the cam members 14 and two of the cam members 16 on each of theside sections 11 and one each of the cam members 15 and 17 on each ofthe T bars 3, the cam members 15 and 17 being long enough to engage twoof the cam members 14 or 16, as indicated in Fig. 2. When the bottom ofthe receptacle is moved upward to the position indicated in Fig. 3, theside sections 11 arecammed in to the positions indicated in Figs. 3 and4. i

A top or closure 18 is provided upon the upper edge of the side sectionsin order to prevent the upward escape of the claywhen compression isapplied by the relative movements of the core and receptacle, such topor closure being made in four sections corresponding to the sidesections 11. In order to secure the side members 11 slidably to thebottom 4 and top 18, the key construction shown in Figs. 5 and 6 ispreferably employed. The keys 19 and 20 are dovetailed into the sidesections and into the top and bottom members so that the side sectionscan go laterally or horizontally toward. and from thecore, but at thesame time any vertical movement between the side sections and the topand bottom are prevented.

sections are moved out and thus prevent breakage incident to moving orhandling while the clay is still soft, the hoops 21 extending. aroundthe liners .are employed. These hoops lie in grooves in the walls of theside sections with their ends overlapping opposite the slots 22 providedin the side sections as shown in Fig. 2 Collars 23 fit around theoverlapped ends and are provided with clamping screws 24.

I11 carrying out the operation the spider 2 with its plunger 1 areremoved to permit the ready filling with clay of the lower portion ofthe receptacle, such clay being in a very plastic condition but nothaving the same degree of fluidity as that which is used in the ordinarypot pouring operation. The spider with 'ts core is then positioned andadditional clay filled in around the sides In order to support the potafter the sidethereof. The closure sections v18 are then applied so thatthe parts occupy the position illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2. Thehydraulic pump is now operated to apply pressure to the plunger 5, whichcauses the receptacle carried thereby to move upward, so that compactingpressure is simultaneously applied-between the bottom 4 of thereceptacle and the bottom of the core and between the side walls 11 andthe-side walls of the core, the side sections llbeing cammed inward asthe receptacle moves upward. The top sections 18 prevent the escape ofthe clay upward from the-top of the mold, so that any desired degree ofpressure may be applied to the clay, thus eliminating voids and bringingthe pot to a. uniformly compacted condition. The ends of the hoops 21.are clamped together so that the pot will be supported by the liners 12after the removal of the sections 11. After the pot has been formed andthe clay allowed'to set, the bottom 4 is allowed to move back to theposition indicated in Fig. 1, the core is removed, and theside sections11 taken off. The pot, supported by the liners, may now be carried awayfor drying, seated upon the bottom 4, which bottom, with its plunger 5,is removed bodily from the apparatus upon a suitable truck. Or, ifdesired, the bottom 4 may be detached from the plunger 5 in order tomove the pot, a new bottom member being secured in position upon theplunger for the succeeding operation.

If desired, this method of procedure may be somewhat modified and thefilling may be carried out without removing the core. In filling inaccordance with this method the top sections 18.would be drawn back andthe clay necessary toform the complete pot filled in between the sidewalls of the receptacle and the core, tamping being ap plied to theextent necessary to cause the clay-to'fiow laterally and fill the spacebe' tween the bottom. of the core and-the bottom of the receptacle.After the filling operation the procedure followed would be the same asthat above described. It is also feasible when the filling is done withthe core 1 re-' moved, to put in the entire amount-of clay necessary toform the pot before putting the core in position. nov filling being doneafter the core .is in position.

What I claim is:

1. In combination in apparatus for forming clay pots, a base plate, aplurality of side wall members mounted slidably on the base plate forradial mo'vement, a downwardly extending core in the upper portion ofthe cavity formed by the side wall members, .a framework for holding thecore against u ward movement, power means for moving t e base with theside wall members thereon upward. and cooperating means on the frameworkand side wall members for causing an inward movement of said memberswhen such side members are moved upward by said base plate.

2. In combination in apparatus for formin clay pots, a .base plate, aplurality of si e wall members mounted slidably on the base plate forradial movement, a downwardly extending core in the upper portion ofcavity formed by the side wall members, a framework for holding the coreagainst upward movement, power means for moving the base with the sidewall thereon upward, and cooperating means in the framework and sidewall members for causing an inward movement of said members when suchside wall members are moved upward by said.

in parts and collapsible radially, a core for shaping the interior ofthe pots, means for giving a relative vertical movement to thereceptacle and core, means for forcing the parts comprising the sideWalls of the receptacle inward, and a closure means secured upon theupper ends of said side walls with slide connections and fitting aroundthe core.

4. In combination in apparatus for forming clay pots, a receptacle forshaping the exterior of the pots, having side walls made in sections andcollapsible radially, liners inside the section bridgin the spacesbetween I the sections, releasab e securing means around the liners forholding them in position on the pot and supporting it after the sectionsare removed, a core for shaping the interior of the pots, and means forforcing the sections inward to compact the clay around the core.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name this 7 day ofNovember,

CLAUDE H. MccU'rcHEoa

